Match Group, the owner of online dating app, Tinder, has announced it will leave Russia by the end of June in order to protect human rights. 

The company said it will be ceasing operations in Moscow on June 30, making it one of many Western organisations to have left the country since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. 

In Match Group’s 2023 annual impact report, released on 1st May, the company said: “We are committed to protecting human rights. 

“Our brands are taking steps to restrict access to their services in Russia and will complete their withdrawal from the Russian market by June 30, 2023.”

Friends Fiduciary Corp, a shareholder of Match, commented on how the company had set an example for others by leaving Russia while bringing attention to the human rights risks Ukraine is dealing with. 

Last year the European police agency, Europol, also highlighted how Ukraine‘s dating apps were being hijacked for human trafficking purposes. 

“It’s not a good look for a trusted brand to be continuing operations in a nation where the head of state has been indicted by the International Criminal Court,” Jeff Perkins, executive director at Friends Fiduciary, told Reuters.

A large number of digital services have already pulled out of Russia, including streaming giants Netflix and Spotify. 

McDonald’s, Starbucks and Coca-Cola also halted business in Russia shortly after Putin’s invasion last February.

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